Using a Mysterious Spellbook Ended Up Creating a Slave Harem - Chapter 14

 Yet Another New Slave Candidate

And today is June 10th, Friday after school. Rina Takechi had only attended school on Wednesday, and while I had been continuously casting the affection magic on Otowa Kojina, there hadn't been any particularly noticeable movement from her. Reflecting on these things, I used my time in the library to review today's lessons and prepare for next week. The only reason I was even in this place was because Iroha had contacted me.

Last night over the phone, she had requested me to meet her in the library after school, saying there was a woman she wanted to introduce to me. Since I didn't have any pressing plans and was quite interested in this woman, I had agreed and was currently waiting.

"Atsushi-kun."

After a short while, a voice finally called out to me. Looking up, I saw a smiling Iroha, and standing right behind her was a quite beautiful, well-proportioned woman who exuded a neat and refined aura.

"Iroha-sensei. It's been a while." 

"Oh, come on. Can you stop calling me 'sensei'?" 

"Then... is 'Iroha-san' alright?"

While I exchanged light banter with Iroha, the female companion, looking somewhat out of place, chimed into the conversation.

"Um... Iroha-senpai?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Who is this...?" 

"Ah, he's a boy I used to tutor for about two years. His name is Atsushi Saida-kun, and he's a first-year in the attached ordinary course." 

"I see." 

"Atsushi-kun. This is Chihiro Fukuhara-san, a first-year in the Faculty of Literature. We met because she struck up a conversation with me in the cafeteria." 

"Ah, yes. Hello, I'm Atsushi Saida." 

"Nice to meet you. I'm Chihiro Fukuhara." 

"...By the way... you mentioned that meeting in the cafeteria was the catalyst, but does that mean...?" 

"...Don't say it. I already know she mistook me for a fellow first-year..." 

"I-I'm sorry, Iroha-senpai..." 

"I-It's fine. ......Well then, we'll get going so we don't disrupt your studies." 

"Yes. Goodbye, Iroha-san. Goodbye to you too, Fukuhara-san." 

"Yes. Excuse us, Saida-kun."

Having shown her face and finished the introduction, Iroha offered her parting words and departed, taking Chihiro Fukuhara with her. While Chihiro Fukuhara's facial beauty fell slightly short of Iroha's, her physique possessed assets that Iroha lacked, making her a magnificent pass in my book.

+++

That weekend, after making love as we always did, I extracted information about her from Iroha. Apparently, Chihiro hailed from a certain northern prefecture that was quite rural, meaning she had absolutely no acquaintances or friends in this area. For that exact reason, Iroha had taken her under her wing and earned a tremendous amount of trust from her. According to Iroha, that deep trust was one of the primary reasons she decided to introduce her to me this time.

"——Which implies there's another reason behind this." 

"Actually... it seems she has caught the eye of a certain ill-reputed campus club." 

"An ill-reputed club? ...Like a hookup circle?" 

"...Yes, it's a circle that is notoriously famous at the university in the worst way possible."

As I listened to the finer details, it seemed the third-year president was the main issue. The guy himself was a meathead whose only boast was his trained physique, but his parents were filthy rich and he supposedly had politicians among his relatives. I grew momentarily worried about whether Iroha had been safe, but the circle had only transformed into a toxic hookup ring starting last year, meaning the current second-years and below were the primary victims. Hearing this narrative, a specific individual came to mind, and when I verified the details, it turned out to be exactly the guy I suspected.

"With your power, Master, can't you do something about it?" 

"Well, I'll give it a shot for now. Point the guy out to me on Monday." 

"Yes. I place myself in your hands."

If she was just going to become prey for scum like that, she would be far better off becoming my crest slave. For the time being, a specific useful magic came to mind, so it was time for it to make an appearance. By the way, I had already explained the existence of magic to Iroha and Erika after enslaving them. According to them, ever since they became crest slaves, they could faintly sense magical energy. If I instructed them in magic, the two of them might eventually become capable of wielding it themselves. Thinking that it might be a good idea to have Iroha start studying it as an experiment, our rendezvous for the day came to a close.

+++

When the new week began on Monday after school, I met up with Iroha at the library. Being highly capable, she had already investigated exactly where that meathead guy would be at this hour. Guided by Iroha, I headed toward a specific cafe where he was located. Stalking them from a hidden vantage point, I saw a massive brute of a man who looked like the textbook definition of a muscle-brain, right in the middle of loudly spitting idiot banter with three other guys.

"The one sitting over there is the leader, and the others are the inner circle." 

"The inner circle?" 

"Yes. Though you could also just call them his sycophants." 

"I see. Well, he's exactly the guy I thought he was. Iroha, wait for me here." 

"Understood. Please be careful."

Sent off by her quietly spoken words, I casually walked right past the obnoxious pack of hookup bros. As I did, I unleashed a specific spell directly at the rowdy quartet. Afterward, I took a detour and looped back to Iroha's side. We then began walking shoulder-to-shoulder, putting distance between ourselves and the circle members.

"Um... what was that just now?" 

"Just a simple curse magic."

Curse magic. Since it was detailed in the spellbook, I had mastered only the basic, low-level curse magic, which didn't require much effort to acquire. Being an introductory spell, its standalone effect wasn't anything spectacular. However, the specific magic I utilized this time was a highly specialized one. To put it concretely, it was a spell that amplified any preexisting curses or ill-will directed at the target from other people. During my middle school days, I had used a student I disliked as a test subject to experiment with it, but it had yielded almost zero visible results. I surmised that for it to work, the malice or curse radiating from other people probably had to be exceptionally potent. The men from just now seemed to clear that prerequisite without any issue, so this doubled as an experiment.

"For now, we'll observe how things go for a few days." 

"Understood." 

"If we don't see any effects, we move on to the next phase."

Ever since that conversation, I had been hurriedly training my curse magic. Since mastering a spell that could produce a guaranteed, heavy outcome on its own would likely take a considerable amount of time, I silently hoped that today's magic would be enough to settle the matter.

+++

The following evening, I received a phone call from Iroha. According to her, the curse magic had triggered spectacularly.

『——Word is that on that very night, he got dead drunk and fell down a flight of stairs.』 

"...And the injuries?" 

『According to the gossip trickling down from others, he sustained a spinal cord injury and is currently paralyzed from the waist down.』

 "Is that so. What about the other three?" 

『As of right now, there hasn't been any specific information regarding them.』

 "Got it. Let me know if anything happens." 

『Yes. Understood.』

At any rate, the muscle-brained leader had magnificently fallen prey to the curse. For the curse to detonate on the exact same day I cast it, it meant he must have accumulated an astronomical amount of hatred from his past victims. Now, I would simply watch to see what became of the other three. If something happened to the leader and his top lieutenants, that toxic circle would likely dissolve on its own. If it didn't, it looked like I would just need to apply the curse magic to the new upper management.

+++

On the following Sunday, I was approached by Chihiro Fukuhara through Iroha with a certain request. To put it simply, she wanted me to act as a pack mule to carry her shopping bags. Up until now, she had frequently wanted to go on shopping trips that required an extra pair of male hands, but she had never had an appropriate male acquaintance to fulfill that role. As a result, the request had been passed along to me after Iroha introduced us. Since I naturally wanted to get close to her in more ways than one and didn't want to make Iroha lose face, I accepted without hesitation.

Saturday had seen Iroha tied up with other errands, making it a rare weekend where the afternoon passed without any erotic activities. At the exact time and location specified by Fukuhara-san, I waited for her arrival. After waiting for about fifteen minutes in front of a certain train station, right on the dot of our designated meeting time, she materialized, her straight, waist-length black hair fluttering in the breeze.

"Saida-kun. Sorry to keep you waiting." 

"Good afternoon, Fukuhara-san."

At the appearance of Fukuhara-san, who was quite the head-turning beauty, the gazes of several other men who seemed to be waiting for their own dates locked onto her. Immediately following that, the direction of their stares shifted toward me. I could feel the unspoken vibe of them wondering why a beautiful woman's date was practically a kid. However, basking in those glares saturated with jealousy and envy actually filled me with a sense of superiority, making me feel incredibly good.

"Well then, shall we get going?" 

"Yes. Where are we heading first?" 

"My itinerary is perfectly planned. Let's start over this way."

Taking hold of my arm, she began moving her legs with a brisk, lively pace. Interlocking her arm with mine just like a real lover for some reason, Fukuhara-san pulled me along with a radiant smile on her face.

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